Dissonance - Book One

fifteen

Kelly and I make it back to the vehicle just in the nick of time. The wind has covered most of the Defender with snow and we can barely locate it through the blizzard. A thick white blanket of snow covers the animals that we were able to see just moments earlier. I nearly injure myself, tripping over one of the enormous beasts. I can't make out the headlights of the car until we're only a few feet away. We could have very well been lost to the storm when shelter was within an arm's reach.

Kelly hops into the driver's seat and slams the door shut while I cling to the side of the truck, being knocked around by gusts of wind. The door is nearly frozen shut and it takes both the effort of me pulling the handle from the outside and Wyler pushing from the inside, to pry it open. I climb into the back seat, but a gust of wind catches the door, flinging it open. Battling ferocious gale-like winds, I lean out of the vehicle and reach for the large steel door, fumbling for the handle. It's just out of reach. Visibility is almost non-existent and the wind is putting up a good fight, but somehow, I manage to grab ahold of the handle.

"Got it!" I shout as I pull it towards me with what little strength I have left, but my excitement is short-lived. In my periphery, I notice a large dark object barreling towards me. It comes into focus, as I desperately try to pull the door close. Its razor sharp antlers glint in the glistening snow as its body hurtles towards the truck, smashing the side before I can fully shut the door. The force of the elk's body dents in the entire side of the truck. Sharp metal shards jut inwards, slamming my body into Wyler.

The impact rattles the entire vehicle. Bodies collide with one another. There wasn't enough time for us to buckle up or brace for the impact. The deer's massive bloody head lays near my lap, eyes empty and lifeless. It must have been a part of the herd, lost and disoriented by the storm. At least it got to die quickly, instead of freezing to death with the others.

"Is everyone alright?" Kelly shouts, hurriedly taking inventory of the mess. Blood splatter covers the interior walls and seat cushions.

"I'm okay," Lex says, straightening upright and rubbing her head from where it must have smacked the window.

"Me too," Wyler states. He holds me with shaking hands.

"No, you're not," Kelly's voice rises in concern at the sight of the blood that surrounds us. Wyler looks down at himself, checking to see if he's injured.

"I'm okay. It's not me. I think it's from the elk," Wyler replies and Lex lets out a noticeable sigh of relief.

"No, it isn't," I say, trying to straighten myself upright, but I slouch over. "It's mine. The blood is coming from me."

Wyler pulls back his hands to reveal a gaping wound across my abdomen. The initial shock must have kept me from feeling pain, but as I look down at the bloody opening in my skin, a throbbing ache fills my entire body.

"Ever! Oh my God!" Lex covers her mouth in shock and disgust at the bloody wound.

"Quick, we have to stop the bleeding!" Kelly shouts, but Wyler has already taken action, ripping off his jacket and removing his shirt. He presses it firmly against the wound, but within minutes it's completely soaked.

"Kelly, keep your hands here," Wyler instructs him to place his hands on the shirt. "I need something else to stop the bleeding." He reaches for his jacket.

"No," Kelly shouts. "You need that. There are blankets in the back," he informs Wyler. He immediately starts looking through the trunk. There is a clanking sound as he tosses items back and forth, searching frantically for something to stop the bleeding. He finally appears with a thick wool blanket. Kelly gently removes the soaked shirt from the wound as Wyler places the blanket over my abdomen, trying to stop the bleeding.

"We have to get help!" Lex shouts.

That's when I notice the quiet. It consumes the space. The engine is silent and all that can be heard is the sound of the wind eerily whipping through the night sky. Not a word passes over our lips. Our minds are one as Kelly turns the key in the ignition, desperately trying to start the engine, but all that can be heard is the clicking sound of the motor not turning over.

"The buck must have damaged something when it hit the car. Dammit!" he yells, hitting his hand against the steering wheel in frustration. He throws on his hood and zips up his jacket.

"Lex, come with me. I need you to hold the flashlight. Wyler, you stay here and keep pressure on the wound."

Kelly and Lex exit the vehicle and I expect to be hit with a freezing cold breeze, but I'm not, which is when I realize that half of the elk's body is hanging outside of the vehicle. The inside of the truck is quickly frosting over. Wyler shakes furiously. He's been too worried about me to realize he doesn't have his jacket on. The alcohol and adrenaline must be keeping his body going, but not for long.

"Let me hold the blanket while you put your coat back on." I move my hands toward the wound, but he pushes me away. "You can't help me if you're frozen solid," I say, encouraging him to make a smart decision. Reluctantly, he releases his hold on the blanket and quickly puts on his jacket. Within seconds, his hands are back on me, putting pressure on the wound, but the blood won't stop. I look into his eyes, the concern visible on his face.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I'm a Mod. I'll bounce back," I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're designed to heal quickly, Ever. You're not invincible." His tone is somber and serious.

"Yeah, but I'm a Super Mod," I reply, but my words are cut short by a coughing fit. I reach up to cover my mouth and when I remove my hand, it's filled with little specks of blood. Wyler's expression goes from concerned to sheer panic as his fist thumps hard against the window signaling for Lex and Kelly to get back in the vehicle.

"We need to get her help, NOW!" He looks directly at Kelly, whose eyes grow large as he watches me use the back of my hand to wipe blood from the corner of my mouth. He nods in agreement. For the first time they seem to be on the same page. Figures it would take me dying for them to get along.

"What's the diagnosis on the truck?" Wyler asks.

"The fuel line is damaged, from the impact with the deer. We're floating in a sea of gasoline right now."

"Is there a way to seal it and use the extra fuel we brought?" Wyler inquires.

"With what?" Kelly asks rhetorically. "I brought a lot of supplies, but nothing that can fix a broken fuel line. Plus," he pauses, "that's not all."

"It gets worse?"

"The battery is frozen. And even if by some miracle I could get it started and fix the rupture in the fuel line, we'd all go up in flames the second the engine starts," Kelly states. I can tell he's trying to remain calm, but behind his facade, I can sense his fear. Wyler doesn't respond, but the concern on his face is growing by the minute.

"I'm cold," I shudder.

"It's the blood loss," Wyler responds with worry.

But it's more than that. With the engine not running and the door half open, the car is quickly turning into a refrigerator, or more likely, a freezer.

"I'm cold too," Lex says, confirming my suspicion that I'm not the only one who is freezing to death.

"Anyone got a match," I say half joking. "Sounds like there's enough gasoline to get a rip roaring fire going." I don't know why I keep joking, other than the fact that this situation appears so dire that dealing with it through humor seems to be the only thing keeping me calm. There's that, and there's the fact that I'm losing a tremendous amount of blood, which seems to be making me loopy. I don't even know exactly what I'm saying, but I can tell Kelly's considering my suggestion for a minute. This storm has to stop at some point, doesn't it? Maybe there's a way to stay warm until we can ride out the storm, I think to myself, or maybe I voiced that thought aloud. I can't tell. I feel lightheaded.

"She's losing a lot of blood," Wyler repeats. "She needs help soon or..."

He trails off, not finishing his sentence. He doesn't have to. We all know what he was going to say. If we're stuck out here in this ice age-like blizzard without a vehicle that runs, then I won't be the only one to die, I'll just be the first.